Bases on Balls : 1966 National League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"Maybe I missed my routine and my game so much that I was trying to rationalize reasons for getting it back. I wanted those 162 games. I wanted all the suspense of the playoff and home run races. And I honestly didn't believe baseball would bend far enough to allow the possibility of games in November. I was wrong. And baseball was right." - Paul White in USA Today Baseball Weekly (September 14, 2001)
 

1966 Bases on Balls Leaders

Top 25 in the National League

Ron Santo 95 Chicago Cubs 1
Joe Morgan 89 Houston Astros 2
Hank Aaron 76 Atlanta Braves 3
Willie McCovey 76 San Francisco Giants  
Denis Menke 71 Atlanta Braves 5
Willie Mays 70 San Francisco Giants 6
Wes Parker 69 Los Angeles Dodgers 7
Billy Williams 69 Chicago Cubs  
Dick Allen 68 Philadelphia Phillies 9
Bill White 68 Philadelphia Phillies  
Eddie Mathews 63 Atlanta Braves 11
Rico Carty 60 Atlanta Braves 12
Clay Dalrymple 60 Philadelphia Phillies  
Joe Torre 60 Atlanta Braves  
Rusty Staub 58 Houston Astros 15
Tommy Harper 57 Cincinnati Reds 16
Johnny Callison 56 Philadelphia Phillies 17
Tom Haller 53 San Francisco Giants 18
Donn Clendenon 52 Pittsburgh Pirates 19
Ron Fairly 52 Los Angeles Dodgers  
Jim Pagliaroni 50 Pittsburgh Pirates 21
Jim Ray Hart 48 San Francisco Giants 22
Jim Lefebvre 48 Los Angeles Dodgers  
Willie Stargell 48 Pittsburgh Pirates  
Bob Bailey 47 Pittsburgh Pirates 25



Jose Cruz of the Houston Astros had his number twenty-five retired on October 3, 1992, and became the first Major League player with that particular retired number.

The most recognizable Detroit Tiger to wear the number twenty-five was probably Norm Cash (who wore it from 1960 through 1974), but did you know that Hall of Famer Larry Doby also wore it during his single season with Detroit?

Future Hall of Famer Sammy Sosa is best known for wearing number twenty-one; however, when the young slugger played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) he only wore number twenty-five.